"Lights on your Dog!" – really?

[Greenbelt]

I’ve seen dogs with reflective collars on the trails. That’s enough for me to see them just fine at night. Frankly, if I’m going too fast to not see a well-behaved dog, I’m probably going too fast. I do get annoyed at the dog walkers with long leashes who are talking on their phones on one side of the trail and not minding their dog, which has gone to the other side. I can’t see those leash lines very well.

[jrenaut]

You’ll never make everyone happy. Sounds like you go out of your way to be a good trail user. I wouldn’t pay much attention to the crazies.

[Tim Kelley]

Two things:

If I ever start a band, “Lights On Your Dog” is a strong front runner for a potential name.

You could try something along the style of lights that BikeArlington gives out as a promo item. They look like this.

[dasgeh]

I thought trails were closed to all but cyclists with appropriate lights between dusk and dawn.

[CCrew]

@dasgeh 8862 wrote:

I thought trails were closed to all but cyclists with appropriate lights between dusk and dawn.

Try closed completely between dusk and dawn. At least that’s what the cops keep telling me.

[DaveK]

My dog has a collar with blinking LEDs all around and a little LED sphere light that hooks on to the collar near his tags. I got the collar at Disney World (I know, but it was on sale!) although they sell similar products at REI, and the hanging light on his collar looks like this – http://www.ledlightbars.org/led-snowball-keychain.html. I’m going to get him one of these at REI when either of those products breaks – http://www.niteize.com/products/nite-dawg-led-dog-collar

We don’t run together anymore as he’s getting older but it helps since he’s black and we usually walk in the dark this time of year. Plus everyone loves the big goofy Christmas tree dog.

[Joe Chapline]

@Tim Kelley 8860 wrote:

If I ever start a band, “Lights On Your Dog” is a strong front runner for a potential name.

Keep the audience waiting after the band is supposed to start, so they’ll chant “Lights On Your Dog! Lights On Your Dog”!

[Dirt]

Reflective leashes work very well. I have given away 20 or 30 of them over the last 5 years. I see a dozen or more of them every week. I’ve seen people put a bike flashie on their dog’s collars. They seem okay, but I’ve generally noticed that the reflective leashes are enough.

[baiskeli]

I feed my dog radioactive waste. He glows like a firefly.

[americancyclo]

I like the idea of ‘lights for everyone’ and I’m not going to exclude animals.

Do any of the pedestrian / jogging / running groups give out lights the way Bike Arlington does?

[jabberwocky]

People certainly overestimate their visibility, it seems (which is why I always ran a very bright light when I commuted on the W&OD). I don’t remember ever seeing a dog at night, but if I was running with one I’d definitely try to get something reflective on him. Dogs (even well controlled ones on short leashes) are something I keep a very careful eye on, because they have an element of randomness that people don’t. As a cyclist, I’d definitely appreciate being able to see a dog as easily as possible.

The fact that you have him on a short leash puts you above 98% of the dog walkers though, so I certainly wouldn’t be inclined to yell anything at you.

[KS1G]

Some neighbors clip a cheap bike blinky to the collar or leash on or at the dog’s end and have some other illumination/reflective vest they wear. This lets me know where both the person is and the dog is – very handy to be able to see clearly what the dog is doing (usually less predictable than the people).

[Usern Ame]

How about a light that gets attached ot the dogs tail©

[txgoonie]

I put a RoadId blinkie light on my dog’s collar. I did have reflective tape on her leash, but after a while it peeled off. Frankly I liked that better b/c you could see it from more angles.

Always err on the side of overdoing the safety gear. Based on the number of people I saw between 5:30 and 6:30 this morning on the MVT without a light or a single piece of reflective anything, we are, as Jabber said, overestimating how easy we are to see. If you’re done up properly, you’re going to be the thing a cyclist coming by is concentrating on (as it should be), so that actually puts a greater importance on making sure your furry friend is getting due attention.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

Lights on your dog.. makes me think of the Phineas and Ferb song “Squirrel in your pants.”

Here are some reflective dog products from my favorite dirt-cheap-led-light website:
http://www.dontgethit.com/reflective-pet-wear.html

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